Protection of civilians was at the core of the conference co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), with support from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 26–27, 2019.
The conference puts the spotlight on contemporary issues and challenges in modern-day peacekeeping operations, including the protection of civilians and medical services and the role of female peacekeepers.
Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla had officially opened the conference on June 25, 2019. Kalla emphasized that the UN peacekeeping is a testament to the international collaboration under the UN flag that has played a significant role in efforts to resolve various conflicts in the world.
On Wednesday (June 26), Indonesian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs A. M. Fachir delivered keynote speeches on contemporary issues and challenges in modern peace operations at the conference.
In the meantime, Alexandre Faite, head of the ICRC regional delegation to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, reiterated the significance of establishing a forum to hold open discussions on experiences, challenges, and lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations.
“Over the years, the ICRC has witnessed the evolution of humanitarian issues and challenges on the ground. Through platforms such as this meeting, we strive to engage with member states, military officials, and humanitarian community on such critical issues. We are glad to see Indonesia take this issue so seriously under the framework of its mandate in the United Nations Security Council for 2019-2020," Faite affirmed.
The conference marks two decades of cooperation between the ICRC and TNI on dissemination of international humanitarian law for TNI’s officers and brought together 145 military officers and defense attachés from 28 countries.
The dialog between the two organizations has evolved over the years, with the international humanitarian law (IHL) dissemination programme, reaching over 20 thousand Indonesian military officers.
EDITED BY INE
Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
